Aircraft carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov” will be sent to the Mediterranean Sea

According to TASS referring to a senior source in the command of the Russian Navy, Russia’a only heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov will be sent to the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 2016.

According to the agency, the cruiser will lead a permanent group of the Russian Navy in the region.

He also added that after going to the Mediterranean Sea, “Admiral Kuznetsov” will go for repair at the end of 2016, and it will last 2-2.5 years. The source explained that the cruiser will, in particular, update its air group.

In mid-January, the chief of the central administrative board for ship-building of the Ministry of Defense of Russia Vladimir Tryapichnikov said that the modernization of the cruiser will start as expected at the end of this year.

“Today, the ship has to go through the restoration of its technical readiness, and during 2016 it will perform jobs it was designed for,” – said Tryapichnikov, and added that the updated air group will include new MiG-29K fighters, and other aircrafts.

The cruiser was laid on the stocks of the Black Sea Shipyard in 1982. It performed multiple trips to the Mediterranean Sea. There are cruise anti-ship missiles “Granit” on the ship, anti-aircraft missile and gun complexes “Klinok” (“Blade” – RRT) and “Kashtan” (“Chestnut” – RRT), automatic 30-mm AK-630 naval gun, as well as a comprehensive system of anti-submarine defense.